The Green Bay Packers announced truly heartbreaking news on Tuesday, and that has sent Packers and NFL fans into dismay. The team announced a season-ending injury to their running back A.J. Dillon. It appears the injury is not only going to keep him out all of the 2024 season, but it could impact his long-term health in the NFL for his entire career.
This has fans on social media showing tons of love to the running back and wishing him a speedy recovery as he is a real fan favorite.
A.J. Dillon Suffers Brutal Season-Ending Injury
Per McQuade Arnold as discussed on Gridiron Heroics:
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network:
The #Packers placed RB AJ Dillon (neck) on injured reserve and didn’t designate him to return. He’s officially out for the entire 2024 season.
Any time a neck injury ends a season, it calls into question the future of that player’s career.
Following his placement on injured reserve on Tuesday, Dillon won’t be able to return for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Although stingers aren’t usually serious issues, there seems to be some complication that will keep him sidelined for a while. Josh Jacobs will likely take over the bulk of Green Bay’s backfield work for the foreseeable future, with rookie MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) set to miss the first four games.
While it does seem that this injury is usually not serious, any neck injury can become very tricky for an NFL player. Just as Arnold expressed, a neck injury calls into question a player’s future in the league. Football is a complete contact sport, and the neck can be easily damaged especially for a ground-and-pound running back.
Fans understand, that they may not even see Dillon again in the league.
NFL And Green Bay Packers Fans React To The Devastating News
Fans seem to get a feeling that they may not see Dillon back on the field for a while, if ever again. Packers and NFL fans alike have been sending messages of support and love for the running back in what must be an incredibly difficult time.
Even some Bears fans have chimed in wishing the running back a speedy recovery, as we all hate to hear news like this:
Prayers up for AJ Dillon 🙏🏾
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 27, 2024
Thank you for all the memories, AJ Dillon🙏
A true class act, both on and off the field.
He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/8goLyTNzIq
— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) August 27, 2024
Hate to see injuries. Hope he has a speedy and healthy recovery.
— Bryan (@BGauvin23) August 27, 2024
Depending on the injury, wouldn’t surprise me if his career is over. Regardless I’d say his time in GB has come to a close.
— Rawdoggish 🐶 (@J_DriverIII) August 27, 2024
What a shame. Will we ever get to see this guy play a full season?
— eagles (@Eaglesfaninoc) August 27, 2024
Wishing a speedy recovery for the poopie packers
— 🐻pils (@BonanzaPils) August 27, 2024
man you hate to hear that! Hope that recovery goes well!
— Anime Explained (@NarutoExplained) August 27, 2024
Injuries are the worst part of the sport, and from all of us at Gridiron, we wish A.J. a speedy and smooth recovery. We hope to see him back on the field next year.
Related: Packers Announce Devastating Career-Altering News (Report)
